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1.
Cell Rep ; 38(5): 110331, 2022 02 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35108529

ABSTRACT

PD-1 blockade exerts clinical efficacy against various types of cancer by reinvigorating T cells that directly attack tumor cells (tumor-specific T cells) in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) also comprise nonspecific bystander T cells. Here, using single-cell sequencing, we show that TILs include skewed T cell clonotypes, which are characterized by exhaustion (Tex) or nonexhaustion signatures (Tnon-ex). Among skewed clonotypes, those in the Tex, but not those in the Tnon-ex, cluster respond to autologous tumor cell lines. After PD-1 blockade, non-preexisting tumor-specific clonotypes in the Tex cluster appear in the TME. Tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) without metastasis harbor a considerable number of such clonotypes, whereas these clonotypes are rarely detected in peripheral blood. We propose that tumor-infiltrating skewed T cell clonotypes with an exhausted phenotype directly attack tumor cells and that PD-1 blockade can promote infiltration of such Tex clonotypes, mainly from TDLNs.


Subject(s)
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/drug effects , Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/pharmacology , Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/drug effects , Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/antagonists & inhibitors , Tumor Microenvironment/immunology , Animals , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism , Cell Line, Tumor/drug effects , Humans , Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/metabolism , Mice , Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism , Tumor Microenvironment/drug effects
2.
Cancer Immunol Res ; 9(11): 1342-1353, 2021 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34433589

ABSTRACT

CD8+ T cells recognize peptides displayed by HLA class I molecules on cell surfaces, monitoring pathologic conditions such as cancer. Advances in proteogenomic analysis of HLA ligandomes have demonstrated that cells present a subset of cryptic peptides derived from noncoding regions of the genome; however, the roles of cryptic HLA ligands in tumor immunity remain unknown. In the current study, we comprehensively and quantitatively investigated the HLA class I ligandome of a set of human colorectal cancer and matched normal tissues, showing that cryptic translation products accounted for approximately 5% of the HLA class I ligandome. We also found that a peptide encoded by the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) PVT1 was predominantly enriched in multiple colorectal cancer tissues. The PVT1 gene is located downstream of the MYC gene in the genome and is aberrantly overexpressed across a variety of cancers, reflecting its oncogenic property. The PVT1 peptide was recognized by patient CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, as well as peripheral blood mononuclear cells, suggesting the presence of patient immune surveillance. Our findings show that peptides can be translated from lncRNAs and presented by HLA class I and that cancer patient T cells are capable of sensing aberrations in noncoding regions of the genome.


Subject(s)
Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Carcinogenesis/immunology , Gene Expression/genetics , Immunologic Surveillance/immunology , Protein Isoforms/metabolism , RNA, Long Noncoding/immunology , Animals , Case-Control Studies , Cell Proliferation , Humans , Mice , Transfection
3.
Nagoya J Med Sci ; 81(1): 1-18, 2019 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30962651

ABSTRACT

CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing the transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) play an important role in self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. Tregs have evolved to protect the host from aberrant immune responses against self-components and collateral damages occurring in the process of defense against invading pathogens by softening immune responses. However, they turned to be a scourge in malignant tumors by not only allowing and promoting tumor growth but also suppressing effective antitumor actions, both inherent (host's immune surveillance) and extrinsic (anticancer therapy). An increase in the number of Tregs infiltrating into tumor sites and a concomitant decrease in the number of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes are associated with a poor prognosis for various types of cancers, marking Tregs as notorious meddlers with an effective antitumor response. Various cancer immunotherapy approaches are often dampened by meddling Tregs, making them one of the major targets in the treatment of cancer. The recent success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) that target immune checkpoint molecules expressed by Tregs or effector T cells implies, that "meddling with meddlers" represents an effective strategy in cancer immunotherapy. However, clinical responses to ICIs are effective and durable only in some patients with cancer, whereas more than half of them do not show significant clinical improvement. This implies that a therapeutic approach based on the use of a single ICI, or targeting Tregs alone, is insufficient, highlighting the need for combinatorial approaches. With regard to antitumor immune stimulation, several approaches, such as vaccination with peptides (or the corresponding DNA) to stimulate antigen-presenting CD8+ T cells with tumor-specific neoantigens, cancer/testis antigens, or cancer stem cell antigens, that eventually boost effective cytotoxic antitumor responses are being tested. This review describes the immunosuppressive physiology of Tregs and their meddling with the host's antitumor immunity; current and prospective approaches to curb Tregs; and approaches to augment antitumor immunity.


Subject(s)
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism , Animals , Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology , Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism , Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism , Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2/metabolism , Humans , Immune Tolerance/immunology , Immune Tolerance/physiology , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/metabolism , Models, Biological , Receptor, Adenosine A2A/metabolism , Receptors, CCR4/metabolism , Receptors, Interleukin-2/metabolism , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
4.
J Immunol ; 202(10): 2849-2855, 2019 05 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30936292

ABSTRACT

Cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognize peptides displayed by HLA class I molecules on cell surfaces, monitoring pathological conditions such as cancer. Difficulty in predicting HLA class I ligands is attributed to the complexity of the Ag processing pathway across the cytosol and the endoplasmic reticulum. By means of HLA ligandome analysis using mass spectrometry, we collected natural HLA class I ligands on a large scale and analyzed the source-protein sequences flanking the ligands. This comprehensive analysis revealed that the frequency of proline at amino acid positions 1-3 upstream of the ligands was selectively decreased. The depleted proline signature was the strongest among all the upstream and downstream profiles. Experiments using live cells demonstrated that the presence of proline at upstream positions 1-3 attenuated CTL responses against a model epitope. Other experiments, in which N-terminal-flanking Ag precursors were confined in the endoplasmic reticulum, demonstrated an inability to remove upstream prolines regardless of their positions, suggesting a need for synergistic action across cellular compartments for making the proline signature. Our results highlight, to our knowledge, a unique role and position of proline for inhibiting downstream epitope presentation, which provides a rule for defining natural peptide-HLA class I repertoire formation and CTL responses.


Subject(s)
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/immunology , Immunity, Cellular , Peptides/immunology , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/cytology , Cell Line , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/chemistry , Humans , Peptides/chemistry , Proline/chemistry , Proline/immunology
5.
Cancer Immunol Res ; 6(3): 358-369, 2018 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29371260

ABSTRACT

Colorectal cancer consists of a small number of cancer stem cells (CSC) and many non-CSCs. Although rare in number, CSCs are a target for cancer therapy, because they survive conventional chemo- and radiotherapies and perpetuate tumor formation in vivo In this study, we conducted an HLA ligandome analysis to survey HLA-A24 peptides displayed by CSCs and non-CSCs of colorectal cancer. The analysis identified an antigen, ASB4, which was processed and presented by a CSC subset but not by non-CSCs. The ASB4 gene was expressed in CSCs of colorectal cancer, but not in cells that had differentiated into non-CSCs. Because ASB4 was not expressed by normal tissues, its peptide epitope elicited CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses, which lysed CSCs of colorectal cancer and left non-CSCs intact. Therefore, ASB4 is a tumor-associated antigen that can elicit CTL responses specific to CSCs and can discriminate between two cellular subsets of colorectal cancer. Adoptively transferred CTLs specific for the CSC antigen ASB4 could infiltrate implanted colorectal cancer cell tumors and effectively prevented tumor growth in a mouse model. As the cancer cells implanted in these mice contained very few CSCs, the elimination of a CSC subset could be the condition necessary and sufficient to control tumor formation in vivo These results suggest that CTL-based immunotherapies against colorectal CSCs might be useful for preventing relapses. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(3); 358-69. ©2018 AACR.


Subject(s)
Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology , Colorectal Neoplasms/therapy , Immunotherapy , Neoplastic Stem Cells/immunology , Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology , Animals , Cell Line, Tumor , Humans , Mice
6.
Oncoimmunology ; 6(4): e1293214, 2017.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28533942

ABSTRACT

This study focused on HLA-A24 and comprehensively analyzed the ligandome of colon and lung cancer cells without the use of MHC-binding in silico prediction algorithms. Affinity purification using the antibody specific to HLA-A24 followed by LC-MS/MS sequencing was used to detect peptides, which harbored the known characteristics of HLA-A24 peptides in terms of length and anchor motifs. Ligandome analysis demonstrated the natural presentation of two different types of novel tumor-associated antigens. The ligandome contained a peptide derived from SUV39H2, a gene found to be expressed in a variety of cancers but not in normal tissues (except for the testis). The SUV39H2 peptide is immunogenic and elicits cytotoxic CD8+ T-cell (CTL) responses against cancer cells and is thus a novel cancer-testis antigen. Moreover, we found that microsatellite instability (MSI)-colon cancer cells displayed a neoepitope with an amino-acid substitution, while microsatellite stable (MSS)-colon and lung cancer cells displayed its counterpart peptide without the substitution. Structure modeling of peptide-HLA-A24 complexes predicted that the mutated residue at P8 was accessible to T-cell receptors. The neoepitope readily elicited CTL responses, which discriminated it from its wild-type counterpart, and the CTLs exhibited considerably high cytotoxicity against MSS-colon cancer cells carrying the responsible gene mutation. The specific and strong CTL lysis observed in this study fosters our understanding of immune surveillance against neoantigens.

7.
Oncoimmunology ; 6(2): e1274476, 2017.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28344889

ABSTRACT

Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) lyse target cells after recognizing the complexes of peptides and MHC class I molecules (pMHC I) on cell surfaces. Tapasin is an essential component of the peptide-loading complex (PLC) and its absence influences the surface repertoire of MHC class I peptides. In the present study, we assessed tapasin expression in 85 primary tumor lesions of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, demonstrating that tapasin expression positively correlated with patient survival. CD8+ T-cell infiltration of tumor lesions was synergistically observed with tapasin expression and correlated positively with survival. To establish a direct link between loss of tapasin and CTL recognition in human cancer models, we targeted the tapasin gene by CRISPR/Cas9 system and generated tapasin-deficient variants of human lung as well as colon cancer cells. We induced the CTLs recognizing endogenous tumor-associated antigens (TAA), survivin or cep55, and they responded to each tapasin-proficient wild type. In contrast, both CTL lines ignored the tapasin-deficient variants despite their antigen expression. Moreover, the adoptive transfer of the cep55-specific CTL line failed to prevent tumor growth in mice bearing the tapasin-deficient variant. Loss of tapasin most likely limited antigen processing of TAAs and led to escape from TAA-specific CTL recognition. Tapasin expression is thus a key for CTL surveillance against human cancers.

8.
Oncotarget ; 8(15): 24706-24718, 2017 Apr 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28160557

ABSTRACT

Many human cancers have been reported to have enhanced expression of the immune checkpoint molecule programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which binds to programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) expressed on immune cells. PD-L1/PD-1 plays a role in inhibition of antitumor immunity by inducing T cell apoptosis and tolerance. Thus, it is crucial to elucidate mechanisms of PD-L1 expression on cancer cells. ERO1-α is an oxidase located in the endoplasmic reticulum. It is overexpressed in a variety of tumor types and it plays a role in disulfide bond formation in collaboration with PDI. Here, we investigated the influence of ERO1-α on expression of PD-L1 and immune escape. We demonstrated that ERO1-α augmented the expression of PD-L1 via facilitation of oxidative protein folding within PD-L1. In addition, we showed that overexpression of ERO1-α increased HIF-1α protein expression, resulting in an increase of PD-L1 mRNA as well as protein. In clinical cases, we observed that the expression of ERO1-α in triple negative breast cancer was related to the expression of PD-L1. Moreover, apoptosis of Jurkat leukemia T cells, which express PD-1, induced by tumor PD-L1 was inhibited when ERO1-α was depleted. The results suggest that targeting ERO1-α in tumor cells can be a novel approach for cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, the role of ERO1-α in tumor-mediated immunosuppression should be further explored.


Subject(s)
B7-H1 Antigen/immunology , Breast Neoplasms/immunology , Leukemia, T-Cell/immunology , Membrane Glycoproteins/immunology , Oxidoreductases/immunology , Apoptosis/immunology , B7-H1 Antigen/biosynthesis , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Female , Humans , Interferon-gamma/pharmacology , Jurkat Cells , Leukemia, T-Cell/enzymology , Membrane Glycoproteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Membrane Glycoproteins/biosynthesis , Oxidoreductases/antagonists & inhibitors , Oxidoreductases/biosynthesis , Protein Folding , Transfection , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/enzymology , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/immunology , Tumor Escape , Up-Regulation/drug effects , Up-Regulation/immunology
9.
Eur J Immunol ; 46(12): 2842-2851, 2016 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27667124

ABSTRACT

To establish an effective cancer immunotherapy, it is crucial that cancer cells present a cancer-specific antigen in a hypoxic area, a hallmark of the tumor microenvironment. Here, we show the impact of hypoxia on MHC class I antigen presentation in vitro and in vivo in murine tumors. Activation of antigen-specific CTLs by tumor cells that had been pre-incubated under a condition of hypoxia was enhanced compared with that by tumor cells pre-incubated under a condition of normoxia. Cell surface expression of MHC class I-peptide complex on the tumor cells was increased under a condition of hypoxia, thereby leading to higher susceptibility to specific CTLs. We show that the hypoxia-inducible ER-resident oxidase ERO1-α plays an important role in the hypoxia-induced augmentation of MHC class I-peptide complex expression. ERO1-α facilitated oxidative folding of MHC class I heavy chains, thereby resulting in the augmentation of cell surface expression of MHC class I-peptide complex under hypoxic conditions. These results suggest that since the expression of MHC class I-peptide complex is augmented in a hypoxic tumor microenvironment, strategies for inhibiting the function of regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells and/or immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors are promising for improving cancer immunotherapy.


Subject(s)
Glycoproteins/metabolism , Hypoxia/immunology , Immunotherapy/methods , Melanoma/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology , Animals , Antigen Presentation , Disease Models, Animal , Female , H-2 Antigens/metabolism , Humans , Hypoxia/therapy , Melanoma/therapy , Melanoma, Experimental , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Transgenic , Oxidation-Reduction , Oxidoreductases , Protein Folding , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/transplantation , Tumor Microenvironment
10.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun ; 474(4): 626-633, 2016 06 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27133716

ABSTRACT

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases comprise neurodegenerative disorders caused by expression of expanded polyQ-containing proteins. The cytotoxicity of the expanded polyQ-containing proteins is closely associated with aggregate formation. In this study, we report that a novel J-protein, DNAJ (HSP40) Homolog, Subfamily C, Member 8 (DNAJC8), suppresses the aggregation of polyQ-containing protein in a cellular model of spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), which is also known as Machado-Joseph disease. Overexpression of DNAJC8 in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells significantly reduced the polyQ aggregation and apoptosis, and DNAJC8 was co-localized with the polyQ aggregation in the cell nucleus. Deletion mutants of DNAJC8 revealed that the C-terminal domain of DNAJC8 was essential for the suppression of polyQ aggregation, whereas the J-domain was dispensable. Furthermore, 22-mer oligopeptide derived from C-termilal domain could suppress the polyQ aggregation. These results indicate that DNAJC8 can suppress the polyQ aggregation via a distinct mechanism independent of HSP70-based chaperone machinery and have a unique protective role against the aggregation of expanded polyQ-containing proteins such as pathogenic ataxin-3 proteins.


Subject(s)
Ataxin-3/metabolism , HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism , Machado-Joseph Disease/metabolism , Neurons/metabolism , Repressor Proteins/metabolism , Binding Sites , Cell Line , HeLa Cells , Humans , Protein Binding , Protein Domains , Protein Multimerization
11.
Br J Cancer ; 114(11): 1227-34, 2016 05 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27100727

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Endoplasmic reticulum disulfide oxidase 1-α (ERO1-α) is an oxidase that exists in the endoplasmic reticulum and has a role in the formation of disulfide bonds of secreted proteins and cell-surface proteins. Recently, we reported that ERO1-α is present in high levels in various types of tumours, and that ERO1-α is a novel factor of poor prognosis. However, how ERO1-α affects a tumour in vivo and why patients who have a tumour with a high expression level of ERO1-α have a poor prognosis are still unknown. Therefore, to clarify the mechanism, we investigated the effect of ERO1-α on a tumour from the point of view of angiogenesis. METHODS: The effect of ERO1-α on tumour growth and angiogenesis was analysed by using non-obese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient mice. The production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in MDA-MB-231 cells with ERO1-α- overexpression or with ERO1-α knockdown was measured. The role of ERO1-α on VEGF expression was investigated. In triple-negative breast cancer cases, the relationship between expression of ERO1-α and angiogenesis was analysed. RESULTS: We found that the expression of ERO1-α promoted tumour growth in a mouse study and angiogenesis. The effects of ERO1-α on angiogenesis were mediated via oxidative protein folding of VEGF and enhancement of VEGF mRNA expression by using MDA-MB-231. In triple-negative breast cancer cases, the expression of ERO1-α related to the number of the blood vessel. Furthermore, we found that ERO1-α was a poor prognosis factor in triple-negative breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has established a novel link between expression of ERO1-α and secretion of VEGF, providing new evidence for the effectiveness of ERO1-α-targeted therapy in patients with ERO1-α-expressed cancer.


Subject(s)
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Membrane Glycoproteins/physiology , Neoplasm Proteins/physiology , Neovascularization, Pathologic/enzymology , Oxidoreductases/physiology , Protein Folding , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/enzymology , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/biosynthesis , Animals , Breast Neoplasms/blood supply , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Disulfides/metabolism , Female , Gene Knockdown Techniques , Humans , Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism , Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics , Mice , Mice, Inbred NOD , Mice, SCID , Neoplasm Proteins/genetics , Neoplasm Transplantation , Oxidation-Reduction , Oxidoreductases/genetics , RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis , RNA, Messenger/genetics , RNA, Neoplasm/biosynthesis , RNA, Neoplasm/genetics , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/blood supply , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/genetics , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism
12.
Cancer Sci ; 107(1): 12-7, 2016 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26440127

ABSTRACT

Cancer stem-like cells (CSC)/cancer-initiating cells (CIC) are defined as minor subpopulations of cancer cells that are endowed with properties of higher tumor-initiating ability, self-renewal ability and differentiation ability. Accumulating results of recent studies have revealed that CSC/CIC are resistant to standard cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and molecular targeting therapy, and eradiation of CSC/CIC is, thus, critical to cure cancer. Cancer immunotherapy is expected to become the "fourth" cancer therapy. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) play an essential role in immune responses to cancers, and CTL can recognize CSC/CIC in an antigen-specific manner. CSC/CIC express several tumor-associated antigens (TAA), and cancer testis (CT) antigens are reasonable sources for CSC/CIC-targeting immunotherapy. In this review article, we discuss CSC/CIC recognition by CTL, regulation of immune systems by CSC/CIC, TAA expression in CSC/CIC, and the advantages of CSC/CIC-targeting immunotherapy.


Subject(s)
Immunotherapy/methods , Neoplasms/immunology , Neoplastic Stem Cells/immunology , Humans , Immunotherapy/trends
13.
Eur J Immunol ; 46(4): 929-40, 2016 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26711740

ABSTRACT

Hypoxia and glucose deprivation are often observed in the microenvironment surrounding solid tumors in vivo. However, how they interfere with MHC class I antigen processing and CD8(+) T-cell responses remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the production of antigenic peptides presented by classical MHC class I in mice, and showed that it is quantitatively decreased in the cells exposed to either hypoxia or glucose deprivation. In addition, we unexpectedly found increased surface expression of HLA-E in human and Qa-1 in mouse tumor cells exposed to combined oxygen and glucose deprivation. The induced Qa-1 on the stressed tumor model interacted with an inhibitory NKG2/CD94 receptor on activated CD8(+) T cells and attenuated their specific response to the antigen. Our results thus suggest that microenvironmental stresses modulate not only classical but also nonclassical MHC class I presentation, and confer the stressed cells the capability to escape from the CD8(+) T-cell recognition.


Subject(s)
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/biosynthesis , Neoplasms/immunology , Tumor Escape/immunology , Animals , Antigen Presentation/immunology , Cell Hypoxia/physiology , Cell Line, Tumor , Glucose/deficiency , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/genetics , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/immunology , Humans , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C/immunology , NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily D/immunology , Stress, Physiological/immunology , Tumor Microenvironment/immunology , HLA-E Antigens
14.
Oncoimmunology ; 4(5): e1005507, 2015 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26155404

ABSTRACT

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognize the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and antigenic peptide complex, and they play a crucial role in cancer immunity. Our recent study revealed that HLA class I downregulation is related to poorer prognosis and a low level of intratumoral CTLs is associated with platinum resistance, indicating the significance of immunological surveillance.

15.
Nucleus ; 6(3): 166-71, 2015.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25793944

ABSTRACT

Lamin A/C is part of the nuclear lamina, a meshwork of intermediate filaments underlying the inner nuclear membrane. The lamin network is anchoring a complex set of structural and linker proteins and is either directly or through partner proteins also associated or interacting with a number of signaling protein and transcription factors. During mitosis the nuclear lamina is dissociated by well established phosphorylation- dependent mechanisms. A-type lamins are, however, also phosphorylated during interphase. A recent study identified 20 interphase phosphorylation sites on lamin A/C and explored their functions related to lamin dynamics; movements, localization and solubility. Here we discuss these findings in the light of lamin functions in health and disease.


Subject(s)
Interphase/genetics , Lamin Type A/chemistry , Mitosis , Muscular Dystrophy, Emery-Dreifuss/genetics , Signal Transduction , Animals , Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics , Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation , HeLa Cells , Humans , Intermediate Filaments/chemistry , Intermediate Filaments/metabolism , Lamin Type A/genetics , Lamin Type A/metabolism , Muscular Dystrophy, Emery-Dreifuss/metabolism , Muscular Dystrophy, Emery-Dreifuss/pathology , Mutation , Nuclear Lamina/chemistry , Nuclear Lamina/metabolism , Phosphorylation , Protein Transport , Solubility
16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25297248

ABSTRACT

  Circulating CD8+ T cells (CTL) survey the peptide/MHC class I complexes on cell surface to discriminate self and eliminate foreign/transformed cells. Thus, the MHC class I peptide repertoire directly influences cells fate, and provides information for immunotherapy strategy. Here we target HLA-A24 (A24), the most frequent serotype in Asia, and perform large-scale mass spectrometric profiling of natural peptides. Using the antibody specific to A24, we identified 264 peptides from colon (SW480, Colo320, HCT15/b2m) and 331 peptides from lung (LHK2, Sq-1) cancer cells. Although, known A24 binding anchors (Y/F at P2 and F/L/I at P9) are strongly conserved among the detected ligands, a subset of peptides with an unusual anchor (K/R at the C-terminal P9 or P10) is observed, suggesting diverse usage of anchors in certain types of cancer cells. Moreover, some peptides (and their genes) are exclusively expressed in cancer stem cells (cells able to exclude Hoechst dye). In summary, we identified approx. 500 non-overlapping natural peptides presented by A24 from colon and lung cancer cells. A combination of natural peptides specific to tumors could be an ideal way for a CTL-based immunotherapy.

17.
J Biol Chem ; 289(32): 22035-47, 2014 Aug 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24962571

ABSTRACT

Osteosarcoma is a rare but highly malignant tumor occurring most frequently in adolescents. The prognosis of non-responders to chemotherapy is still poor, and new treatment modalities are needed. To develop peptide-based immunotherapy, we previously identified autologous cytotoxic T lymphocyte-defined osteosarcoma antigen papillomavirus binding factor (PBF) in the context of HLA-B55 and the cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope (PBF A2.2) presented by HLA-A2. PBF and HLA class I are expressed in ∼90 and 70% of various sarcomas, respectively. However, the expression status of peptide PBF A2.2 presented by HLA-A2 on osteosarcoma cells has remained unknown because it is difficult to generate a specific probe that reacts with the HLA·peptide complex. For detection and qualification of the HLA-A*02:01·PBF A2.2 peptide complex on osteosarcoma cells, we tried to isolate a single chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody directed to the HLA-*A0201·PBF A2.2 complex using a naïve scFv phage display library. As a result, scFv clone D12 with high affinity (KD = 1.53 × 10(-9) M) was isolated. D12 could react with PBF A2.2 peptide-pulsed T2 cells and HLA-A2+PBF+ osteosarcoma cell lines and simultaneously demonstrated that the HLA·peptide complex was expressed on osteosarcoma cells. In conclusion, scFv clone D12 might be useful to select candidate patients for PBF A2.2 peptide-based immunotherapy and develop antibody-based immunotherapy.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal , Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology , Bone Neoplasms/immunology , Osteosarcoma/immunology , Amino Acid Sequence , Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Antigen Presentation , Antigens, Neoplasm/genetics , Base Sequence , Bone Neoplasms/genetics , Bone Neoplasms/therapy , Cancer Vaccines/genetics , Cancer Vaccines/immunology , Cell Line, Tumor , HLA-A2 Antigen/genetics , HLA-A2 Antigen/immunology , HLA-B Antigens/immunology , Humans , Immunotherapy, Active , Molecular Sequence Data , Osteosarcoma/genetics , Osteosarcoma/therapy , Papillomaviridae/immunology , Peptide Library , Single-Chain Antibodies/genetics , Single-Chain Antibodies/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
18.
Article in Japanese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24835136

ABSTRACT

Tumor immunology has been advancing after the great discovery of tumor-specific antigen MAGE in 1991, and a number of tumor antigens have been reported to date. We have also found novel tumor antigens through various methodologies such as gene expression cloning, bioinformatics, reverse immunology, transcriptome analysis and peptidome analysis. Recently, we made a success of defining cancer stem cell-specific antigens. The fruits of our basic research have been applied to clinical trials of cancer vaccine. The long path and future perspectives of innovative immunotherapeutic drug development are described.


Subject(s)
Antigens, Neoplasm/analysis , Cancer Vaccines , Animals , Drug Discovery , Humans , Neoplasms/therapy
19.
J Cell Sci ; 127(Pt 12): 2683-96, 2014 Jun 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24741066

ABSTRACT

Nuclear lamins form the major structural elements that comprise the nuclear lamina. Loss of nuclear structural integrity has been implicated as a key factor in the lamin A/C gene mutations that cause laminopathies, whereas the normal regulation of lamin A assembly and organization in interphase cells is still undefined. We assumed phosphorylation to be a major determinant, identifying 20 prime interphase phosphorylation sites, of which eight were high-turnover sites. We examined the roles of these latter sites by site-directed mutagenesis, followed by detailed microscopic analysis - including fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and nuclear extraction techniques. The results reveal three phosphorylation regions, each with dominant sites, together controlling lamin A structure and dynamics. Interestingly, two of these interphase sites are hyper-phosphorylated in mitotic cells and one of these sites is within the sequence that is missing in progerin of the Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. We present a model where different phosphorylation combinations yield markedly different effects on the assembly, subunit turnover and the mobility of lamin A between, and within, the lamina, the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm of interphase cells.


Subject(s)
Interphase , Lamin Type A/metabolism , Protein Processing, Post-Translational , Active Transport, Cell Nucleus , Amino Acid Sequence , HeLa Cells , Humans , Molecular Sequence Data , Nuclear Lamina/metabolism , Phosphorylation , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases , Protein Transport , Transcription Factors
20.
Cancer Sci ; 105(4): 389-95, 2014 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24450541

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study was to establish cancer stem-like cell/cancer-initiating cell (CSC/CIC)-targeting immunotherapy. The CSC/CIC are thought to be essential for tumor maintenance, recurrence and distant metastasis. Therefore they are reasonable targets for cancer therapy. In the present study, we found that a heat shock protein (HSP) 40 family member, DnaJ (Hsp40) homolog, subfamily B, member 8 (DNAJB8), is preferentially expressed in CSC/CIC derived from colorectal cancer (CRC) cells rather than in non-CSC/CIC. Overexpression of DNAJB8 enhanced the expression of stem cell markers and tumorigenicity, indicating that DNAJB8 has a role in CRC CSC/CIC. A DNAJB8-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response could be induced by a DNAJB8-derived antigenic peptide. A CTL clone specific for DNAJB8 peptide showed higher killing activity to CRC CSC/CIC compared with non-CSC/CIC, and CTL adoptive transfer into CRC CSC/CIC showed an antitumor effect in vivo. Taken together, the results indicate that DNAJB8 is expressed and has role in CRC CSC/CIC and that DNAJB8 is a novel target of CRC CSC/CIC-targeting immunotherapy.


Subject(s)
Colonic Neoplasms/genetics , Colonic Neoplasms/immunology , HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins/biosynthesis , Immunotherapy , Molecular Chaperones/biosynthesis , Nerve Tissue Proteins/biosynthesis , Antigens, Neoplasm/genetics , Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology , Biomarkers, Tumor/immunology , Cell Line, Tumor , Colonic Neoplasms/therapy , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/immunology , HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics , Humans , Molecular Chaperones/genetics , Molecular Targeted Therapy , Neoplasm Metastasis , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/genetics , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/immunology , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/therapy , Neoplastic Stem Cells/immunology , Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
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